I'm on the cusp of canning season at my house. There are about 10 tomato plants in our raised garden beds, most of which are bursting with fruit at the moment. In fact, the tomato plants are so tall that I can easily hide behind them... not that I'm super tall at 5'3'', but still, the tomato plants are doing pretty well. On the canning agenda: tomato sauce, marinara, pizza sauce, and tomato juice. My in-laws are taking care of the salsa, and we just do a batch here and there as the ripened tomatoes become available. It's a nice system, relaxed, at Nature's pace.

Today's recipe is for Chocolate Almond Flour Muffins which I seem to make at least once a week. My kids really enjoy these, and it's nice giving them a "treat" that I don't have to feel bad about. And it's full of protein, which my 6-year-old tends to shy away from, but if you wrap some protein with chocolate and a tiny bit of sugar... and voila, she eats it. Imagine that.

4. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling almost all the way to the top. Bake for 17-22 minutes until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow muffins to cool for 45 minutes to an hour before serving to allow them to set up. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator or freeze.

I love lard. I really do. I know we've all been told that lard is bad and it'll kill us all with heart attacks. Sadly, the American public has been sorely misguided for a very long time (since the 1950's) in regards to dietary fat. I'd love to go into the details, but that would take me many pages of scientific explanation so instead, you can read more about this in the book Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. If you want to understand how to really be healthy (even if it goes against modern "wisdom", then I highly recommend this book -- and no, I don't get anything for this endorsement).I will briefly go into why I love lard so much, though, and how it keeps me healthy rather than hurting me.Here's the deal: carbohydrates make you fat. If you can learn to limit your carbohydrate intake to 50g a day or less, your body will begin using ketones as a fuel source instead of glucose. Ketones are made in the liver using fat, so instead of sugar and carbohydrates as being a fuel source, fat becomes the fuel source. That's why I love fat-rich foods -- they give me energy. Lots of it. And my heart is healthy and my cholesterol numbers are great. In fact, the last time I had my blood tested, my triglycerides (which are bad bad bad, so they say) didn't even register on the instant meter, meaning they were less than 45mg/dL (normal "good" is <150mg/dL). So keep your carbs low (good-bye grains!) and make sure you get enough fat. I never thought in a million years I'd be saying that! I'm sure more than a handful of people I know would wonder why I'd want to make my own lard. Well, it's hard to find lard from naturally-raised pigs that have not been given antibiotics. So when in doubt, make it yourself.

3. If using slow-cooker, turn on high. DO NOT cover with the lid. This allows the water to evaporate out of the fat instead of collecting on the lid and dripping back into the fat. If using a dutch oven on the stove, turn heat to medium. DO NOT cover with a lid.

4. Check on the fat often, giving it a stir if you desire. The fat will begin to melt into a clear liquid. Continue to melt the fat down for up to 8 hours. It's important not to let the fat cook for too long or else the lard will take on a pork flavor, so if you start to smell the fat cooking, it's time to take it off the heat. Or if the fat is turning brown, like it's being deep-fried, then it's time to take it off the heat, too. Ideally, you want to take strain the fat before you get any browning or pork flavors.

5. Place a few layers of cheesecloth over a strainer (inside a funnel works great) and position that over your desired storage container -- in my case, a mason jar. Pour the melted fat through the cheesecloth. Let it set at room temperature to cool off before refrigerating. As the lard cools, it will become opaque and then solidify into a creamy white color -- a thing of beauty. *Many people keep lard at room temperature, but I feel more comfortable putting it in the refrigerator (or freezer for long-term storage).

The drought in our area has dried up a lot of gardens. After talking to one of my neighbors the other day, I learned that some of her friends were paying over $100 extra per month in their water bills to keep their gardens alive. They simply had to give up the garden this year to keep from losing any more money. It's been easy for me to forget that many gardeners have to pay for their water -- being on a well for over 9 years will do that to you. I'm grateful we've been able to keep our garden happily watered and maintained. Just this morning, I discovered a summer squash that resembles a baseball bat -- at least that's how my father-in-law describes it. I've yet to figure out how a bright yellow vegetable can hide itself among green leaves long enough to become called a baseball bat -- how did I not find that one yesterday during my summer squash rounds? I'll chalk it up to the fact that I'm a novice gardener still learning the trade.

With summer squash in abundance at my house (I've already frozen up 3 bags full of squash and 7 bags of zucchini to use in recipes during the winter, not to mention the bags my mother-in-law has frozen up from our garden), I might as well post a summer squash recipe. It's all about seasonal eating, right? That makes me feel better for having squash and zucchini recipes posted on here so much.

Battered and fried squash was the only way I ever tasted squash as a kid -- the only way my mother made it. And probably the only way my father would eat it. Now I do eat squash in all sorts of ways, but battering and frying it is a nice reminder of my childhood -- even with this Paleo version.

1. Heat enough lard/oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet to generously coat the bottom. If using a cast-iron skillet, more lard/oil will be needed to prevent sticking, even in a well-seasoned pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, coconut flour and chives. Using your fingers or tongs, dip a slice of squash into the batter and coat well. Place in hot skillet. Repeat with squash until skillet is full. Sprinkle salt and pepper over squash. Pan fry until browned, then carefully flip and continue to brown other side. Remove to a plate and repeat process until all of the squash is cooked (or you run out of batter!). Serve immediately.

I'm sure the other millions of mothers out there who blog would nod in agreement when I say that blogging with small children is both interesting and a challenge. As I write this, I have a tiny stuffed lion and an even tinier stuffed tiger poised next to the monitor to "watch" me -- a necessary element for me to complete this task, according to my 4-year-old. Give me one more minute... and yes, a tiny cheetah has been added to the menagerie, thanks to my 6-year-old. Throw a morning thunderstorm into the atmosphere, a 6-year-old who insists on playing school with me as the teacher and a 4-year-old with a Maglite (in case the storm takes out the power, you know), and it's a wonder I'm able to complete a sentence, let alone a paragraph. Or that any of this makes sense.

Last night I made some major revisions to my Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe. My original recipe was during our gluten-free-but-not-low-carb phase, so it had a whopping 6 Tablespoons of sugar in addition to the sweet orange juice. I was also still using canola oil as one of many Americans who still believed the lies that corn and canola oil are healthier because they're from vegetables -- nevermind the fact that canola oil does not exist in nature and is therefore fundamentally flawed (a quick guide to the world of fats: polyunsaturated = bad).

With all of my Paleo revisions to my old recipe, it tasted darn good. Not too sweet, not too sour. And thankfully it helped use up some of the abundant zucchini and squash bursting from our garden.

2. In a small bowl, stir together minced garlic and green onion; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together ingredients for sauce: red wine vinegar, orange juice, sugar, ketchup, arrowroot powder and sea salt; set aside.

3. Heat 1 TBSP lard/oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides until cooked through or 165 degrees, about 3 minutes. Be sure not to overcook chicken as it does cook quickly. Transfer chicken to a bowl, cover and set aside.

4. Add carrots, zucchini, and squash to the skillet, and stir fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

5. Add garlic and green onion and stir into vegetables. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the sweet and sour sauce. Simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and serve.

James and I are not summer people. Yes, we enjoy being outside and all of that, but we'd much rather be outside during the coolness of a refreshing spring or in a brisk autumn breeze. This hot and humid summer weather makes us grumble like other Hoosiers grumble about winter snow (which is every 15 minutes, I kid you not). This year has had one of the hottest summers on record which means I've spent a fair share of time indoors soaking up the A/C after quick bursts outside to water the gardens or the chickens.

I made lemon popsicles last weekend, nice and tart just the way we like them (well, except Big C, who traded her popsicle in for a watermelon-strawberry sorbet). If these are a bit too sour for you, just add a little extra sweetener to the mixture before freezing -- honey, sugar, whatever. These lemon popsicles are like eating a frozen glass of lemonade -- SO GOOD.

I am sad to announce that a creature of the night has claimed one of our chickens. I went outside yesterday to give the girls fresh water and noticed some... well... carnage and stuff (I'll keep the graphic details to myself). Our neighbor about 2 doors down has two foxes living on her 13-acre property, so I'm assuming one of them is the culprit. The hens are not in their permanent coop, but instead they've been in a movable cage on wheels that James built until we can find the time and energy to convert our old shed into a sturdy chicken fortress. The movable "coop" is a stout cage completely wrapped in chicken wire, so I was very surprised that an animal was able to breech the compound. So now we're down to 9 chickens, and I'm about 90% sure that Drumstick is indeed a rooster... so eventually our chicken count will be down to 8. This actually makes the kids excited because now they know we'll get 5 more chicks next spring -- and nothing is cuter than a baby chick.

As many of you know, I'm a devout lover of almond flour. But recently, I've been experimenting with coconut flour -- it's gluten-free, Paleo-friendly, and low-carb. I learned pretty quickly that coconut flour does not behave like any other flour out there since it tends to absorb liquid with great power. That means a little goes a long way -- unless you want all of your goods to be dried out.

These Coconut Flour Pancakes are very easy to put together. I freeze up the leftovers for quick morning breakfasts. Like other gluten-free pancakes, they do fall apart more easily than their wheat counterparts, so handle them with care and they'll pay you back with deliciousness.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together coconut flour, salt and baking soda.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil/lard, vanilla, and honey. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and whisk until fully combined and no lumps remain. If batter is too thick, add water.

4. Ladle small scoops of batter onto lightly greased hot griddle and cook until edges begin to set. Carefully flip pancake and cook until underside is browned. Be sure not to cook too fast or pancake will not be done in the middle. Serve with your favorite topping or maple syrup.

Woo hoo, we survived our first vacation as a gluten-free family. Everything went well in the food department up until the last day, the one day where my planning kind of fell apart.We went to Ikea to shop, and I knew from checking out their cafe ahead of time that they did not have a gluten-free menu. To make a long story short, we ended up eating a very small lunch there (the kids had snacks from the car, guaranteed gluten-free), so James and I noshed on a salad from the salad bar. It looked safe -- no croutons or anything lurking in the lettuce. I knew it was a gamble, but we went for it. About an hour later, James complained of feeling itchy and my throat was getting its characteristic Gluten Bomb tightness. Our best guess was that the dressing was not gluten-free or there was some cross-contamination somewhere. At any rate, we downed a capsule of an enzyme supplement I got from the doctor's office that's supposed to help with digesting gluten. And we went about our shopping.

On the way home, I was totally psyched to visit a restaurant just south of Dayton that had a gluten-free cafe -- baked goods, chicken strips, pizzas and salads. I was willing to eat breaded chicken strips (grains!) on a salad because heck, it was vacation and breaded chicken strips are something I'm willing to do every now and again. The cafe could not have been any more of a disappointment if it had tried. The inside was lacking in any kind of charm or sophistication, but I was willing to overlook that for a bite of chicken strips. Then the owner walked out to the counter, and either her teeth were grey or some of them were missing. At either rate, she looked sloppy and kind of gross. My instincts were going off, telling me to run away, buy a quick cookie and find another place to eat. But no, we ordered our food, all $30 of it.

As we were sitting at the table waiting for our order to arrive, I was still optimistic despite the appearance of the restaurant itself AND the owner. I guess I don't like to judge a book by its cover, at least when there are chicken strips involved.

Out came our "food": a frozen pizza on its original round cardboard packaging, two paper plates with frozen crinkle french fries and frozen gluten-free chicken strips (probably Applegate, I'm assuming), and one pre-packaged salad with frozen chicken strips and a packet of Marzetti dressing. I did not drive out of my way after a long day at Ikea on the way home from a wonderful vacation to sit in a nasty cafe, eating nasty food plopped in a toaster oven from a freezer. In a wild daydream, I threw all the plates on the floor, pizza sauce smearing the floor, crinkle cut french fries flying through the air, pieces of chemical-washed romaine lettuce scattered everywhere. But in reality, we sat and ate the nastiness. We spent $30 freakin' dollars on that stuff, and so we ate it. Why in the hell did we not just leave? We should have just faced the fact that yes, we wasted some money, but now we're going to find some better food somewhere else. All I could say about the fiasco was at least the food was gluten-free -- not good, but gluten-free, so we didn't have to worry about that. Then James and I vowed that the next time we find ourselves in a situation like that where our instincts are screaming at us to turn around and walk out, we need to run away as fast as we can. I also realized I need to open my own gluten-free cafe here and teach that lady how to do it right.

Now for some GOOD food. Due to a hankering for egg rolls, I bought a head of cabbage and made a pork stir fry. No, it wasn't quite an egg roll, but the dish turned out so well that sometimes close enough is good enough.

1. Place sliced pork in a shallow dish or zip-top bag. Pour soy sauce over meat and allow to marinate while preparing remaining ingredients.

2. For bok choy, separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the stems into 1/4-inch pieces and set aside with shredded cabbage. Chop leaves into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces and set aside. In a small bowl, combine green onion, garlic and grated ginger with a fork and set aside.

3. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil or lard in a large non-stick skillet or wok. Remove pork from marinade with tongs and place into the skillet. Stir fry until pork is cooked through (be careful not to overcook, though), about 5 minutes. Using tongs, remove pork from skillet and set aside. Pour any remaining liquid in the skillet into a small bowl and set aside.

4. Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon oil/lard in the skillet. Add cabbage, carrots and bok choy stems; stir fry until vegetables are just tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in bok choy leaves and green onion/garlic mixture, cooking until leaves turn bright green and are slightly wilted. Add pork back to the skillet, stirring to combine all ingredients. If mixture is dry, pour in reserved liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Remove skillet from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve alone, with rice or with cauliflower rice.